David Hal Garretson was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, on December 29, 1929 to Edward Lee Armstrong and Helma Clegg Armstrong. At age 5 Dave was adopted from an orphanage located in Boise Idaho by Hamilton (Hal) Samuel Garretson and Vernie Ralls Garretson. He was raised and loved by Hal and Vernie in Downey Idaho, where Hal owned and operated the local drugstore and Soda Shop. Dave grew up learning how to make the most delicious malts and shakes to be found anywhere in the world and shared his love of ice cream, soda's, malt's and shakes with all his future children and grandchildren. This tradition of having a sweet tooth is known by many sharing his heritage to this day.
Dave attended Downey High School where he played football. He graduated from Downey High School in 1923. After Graduation Dave moved to Logan Utah where he attended Utah State University. At this time he met Lydean Yancy of Blackfoot Idaho at a church social. Dave was taught the gospel and baptized as a member of the LDS Church on Lydean's birthday, October 17, 1950. Dave was an avid lover of the Gospel and of his Savior Jesus Christ and for the rest of his life served in a multitude of church callings. Dave was able to serve as a Stake Missionary and able to teach and baptize his niece, Peggy Gallagher Mavis. He was also a member of the Bishopric later in his life in Ridgecrest California.
Dave was drafted into the Army in November of 1950. He did basic training in Fort Lewis Washington and was sent to Fort Bliss Texas. Dave and Lydean were married in Blackfoot Idaho on July 1, 1951 while Dave was on Furlough. He was trained in radio school at Camp Chaffee in Arkansas where he became a radio operator using Morse Code. After Radio training they lived in Fort Hood Texas. While there he was ordained a Priest and an Elder.
When returning to Utah Dave got a job at Toole Army Depot. Dave and Lydean were sealed July 1, 1953 in the Logan Temple. In 1954 they moved to Salt Lake City and bought their first home in Rose Park. Their first child, D'anne, was born in 1955. During this time Dave's biological Brother Eddie found Dave after a long search. Eddie contacted Dave and offered Dave a job running a TV shop in China Lake California in 1958. The family moved to a trailer park in Ridgecrest California and two years later built a home on Las Flores Street. Dave was able to get a job as an electrician at China Lake Navel Weapons center. He was able to progress in his field into the position of Flight Technician testing missiles in Jet Aircraft and Hot Air Balloons. He spent the next 15 years in this position and was often singularly the only man in the position of doing target testing with the missiles. He was a part of the team that invented the famous anti-radar strike missile. He loved his work and loved flying. During their time in Ridgecrest Dave and Lydean were blessed with three boys: David Ralls, Dale Adam, and Dan Samuel. They also participated in the Lamanite placement program and had two foster daughters for whom they cared. Holidays were most often spent in the Sierra Nevada mountains creating family memories in the camper.
In 1975 Lydean got colon cancer. Dave lovingly cared for her until her death on September 10, 1978. Dave started attending LDS Singles Socials where he Met RaNae Norton at a conference in Las Vegas. It was love at first sight and Dave told RaNae that she was the woman he had long been waiting for and asked her to marry him on the second night of the conference. They corresponded long distance for a year with much olden days romance and courtship during this time. Dave and RaNae were married and sealed in the Salt Lake City Temple November 2, 1979. Marrying RaNae gave Dave 4 new Daughters: Lyn (Mike) Jensen, Jana (Bill Rees), Christy (Jon) Christiansen and Lari (Rob) Fitzgerald. This new combined family became the priority and the joy of Dave and RaNae's Lives. In an effort to build a special bond in the joining of this family Dave and RaNae had their Children, David, Dale, Dan and Lari, join them on their honeymoon in Hawaii. New memories and new bonds were joyfully being formed. Dave and RaNae bought a motorhome together and loved to travel. Some of their favorite places were Yellowstone, Lake Powell, Star Valley Wyoming and St.George, UT. They loved snowmobiling, boating, square dancing, and traveling to Europe, Alaska and many of the states.
Dave loved his Grandchildren and Great Grandchildren with a passion and loved supporting them in their activities and being surrounded by them. Poor health was the only thing that ultimately could keep him away from attending the important events of his family's lives. He loved animals, loved watching birds, was an avid outdoorsman, loved the mountains and had many pets for which he meticulously cared for throughout his life. He had a wicked sense of humor, mischief always sparkled in his eyes, he loved to tease, but most of all loved to love and be loved. If one word could describe many facets of his personality it would be SWEET. He loved sweets. Loved to give sugar right out of the packet to his Grandbaby's, treated others with gentle, kind sweetness, laughed sweetly with everyone, and his love for his sweetheart was a relationship for the books or big screen.
Dave was a faithful valiant defender of his belief in his Savior Jesus Christ. He often shared his strong testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ with all those he associated with. He served and loved to the very end. His life was full of miracles that he gratefully acknowledged came from his Heavenly Father.
He cherished his sweetheart with everything he had to the last of his days. He was lovingly cared for by RaNae, and in particular, Christy and Jon Christiansen's Family, as he lived in their home the last 6 months while battling cancer. He fought a valiant fight and was a miracle. Every day of the last 13 years of his life was a gift from God to his family, as the cancer should have and could have taken him 13 years earlier. We will forever miss this incredible man but will forever hold dear and bright all the memories and love that can never be taken away. We Love YOU GRANDPA!
Dave is preceded in death by Lydean Yancy, his sister Joan Brown, his brother Ed Gallagher, his sons Dan Garretson and his Grandson Michael Rees.
He is survived by his wife RaNae Garretson, Sons, David Ralls, Dale (Debbie) Garretson, Dan Garretson, Daughters: D'anne (Don) Blackburn, Lyn (Mike) Jensen, Jana (Bill) Rees, Lari (Rob) Fitzgerald and many loving and lucky grandchildren and great grandchildren.
Funeral services will be held Saturday, July 30, 2016 at the LDS Chapel located at 1600 East Buttercup Drive (10200 South), Sandy, Utah. Viewing from 10:30-11:45, Funeral at 12 Noon. Interment will be directly after funeral services at Larkin Sunset Gardens, 1950 Dimple Dell Road. We appreciate all the many sentiments of condolence and look forward to celebrating his life with the many friends and family he loved so well.
